So, it’s spring now and with that comes the big tax day: April 15th! I’m lucky enough to have an old best friend as my accountant (Talley Tax CPA) and even more happy that we are able to barter services. She does all of our personal taxes and business quarterly taxes, and in turn I handle all of her design and marketing efforts. This arrangement works great because we’ve known each other long enough to communicate really well, and make sure we both feel good about the time we are spending on each others projects.

Here is the identity package we’ve put together for Talley Tax. And her site can be found here. She’s awesome if you’re in need of a CPA!

Ah yes, wedding season is gearing up again! Below are a few more invites we’ve designed that I haven’t shown (I think I haven’t shown, at least). Perhaps these will inspire you on this springy Friday. And, don’t forget that any invites or announcements you see on here can be customized and produced for you! Just contact us, if interested.

It was about a year ago when I realized that many of the concepts of graphic design are present in other design disciplines.

Yes, this high brow epiphany came to me during an episode of Project Runway, when Tim Gunn was pushing a budding designer to “resolve” his design and add “texture and layers.” I thought, hey, we graphic designers talk like that! Now that I’ve had more time to think about it, a lot of other creative disciplines use similar principles to create good, strong art (and music).

So, anyway, this is all going somewhere. I consider another one of my creative outlets to be interior design, and lucky for me, my husband and I recently bought a home that is in desperate need of some TLC. If no one objects (and I need to fix the comments on here so you can!), I’m going to start posting some of these interior pursuits along with the regular graphic design content.

Why not start now?

Below is how our bedroom looked when we first moved in, and we’ve done a pretty big makeover since then.

It’s not quite ready for the grand reveal, but here are some sneak peaks until then…

It wasn’t terrible before, but we were ready for a grown up bedroom. Can’t wait to show you the rest!

This week I was very flattered to be featured on the Made By Girl blog and even happier to see that it brought many new friends to my Etsy shop. It also inspired me to wrap up all the unfinished stamps I had started earlier in the year! Below are some new ones I just added to the shop…

I’ve also created an addition to the line: children’s address stamps! I know my 2 year old “writes” thank you notes to friends and family, and it’s going to be so fun to have a stamp from him, too.

And, for the ladies:

There is a HUGE annual aviation convention in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. It’s coming up this summer, and Auto Pilot magazine is starting to promote it. Below is a short story we designed that features Chuck Aaron, who is an acrobatic helicopter pilot sponsored by Red Bull. This guy is crazy and awesome! I think the large portrait of him kind of says it all.

We are happy to be working the C5 Youth Foundation again on their graduation event, Dare to Dream. The project as a whole includes logo design, a save the date, event invitation and program book. Because I attended a graduate program in Social Work, collaborating with non-profits is really rewarding as I get to merge my love of design with my interest in social justice.

Below is what we’ve started!

I’ve always loved retouching photographs. It’s like instant gratification when taking a ho-hum photo and making it incredible. When we were working with Mark Edge Jewelry, there were a lot of opportunities for making jewlery shine, turning models’ skin into perfection, etc.

Here’s an example of that. Below is the raw shot of the model:

Granted, she is a very pretty girl. But here is how she looks with flawless skin, whiter eyes and pinker lips. The jewelry also jumps out at us more:

Copy added in and we’re done:

While her job is to look good and be photogenic, images like these often pop after a little work. Don’t forget this the next time you’re comparing yourself to someone on a magazine cover!

Designer ID is a site that is mostly devoted to connecting designers to one another—either to find work, get inspired, or just to compare notes. I love to go on there to read about others in the field and see what they’ve been working on. So, naturally I was flattered when the organizer, Bryan Hock, contacted me to do an interview! Click here for the link. Thanks, Bryan!

Ever since I saw the movie Up in the Air, I’ve been thinking a lot about the opening credits. They had tons of great aerial photography mixed in with playful typography. I loved how most of the photos they used created really interesting geometric patterns. I’ve got to find a way to incorporate something like this into my work or my home!

Here are some other photographs I found with a similar feel.

alex maclean

david maisel

dr hunder t wasser

vincent laforet

After becoming so excited over this, I tried it the last time we went flying. I’m realizing it pays to have the right equipment! It was really hard to get a good shot out of the scratched up window of our Cessna. This was the best one (and it’s not really “aerial”):

One way to exposure yourself or your business is by getting your name out there, right? Well, one way to do this is by becoming the “expert” in your field and hopefully getting your name in print somewhere. I am about to reveal my PR secret, people. Actually, you may already know about it and it’s been on the Today Show, so it’s not very under wraps at this point!

The site is called Help a Report Out, and the organizer gets queries from reporters that need sources for various stories. The reporters often work for huge newspapers (like NY Times) or Network TV stations. It’s for real! If you sign up, you receive 3 daily emails with ALL the queries, and you can respond directly to the reporter that fits your skills / story to tell.

I’ve been interviewed several times as a result of HARO queries. Below are links if you’ve missed out!

- Interview with Inside Digital Design

- Small mention about typography usage

- This one you have to pay $$ to watch, but I was interviewed live, in a TV studio. A great experience!